lessons to be taken from the life of Grandma Moses.

1. Never stop following your calling. 

How many times have you heard someone say they “gave up their dream” because it was unrealistic or impractical? You should never simply give up on a dream. Yes you may need to alter it but don’t give it up entirely. Our dreams are what make us whole and what fulfills us. Grandma Moses was always creative and she found ways to feed that spirit. That doesn’t mean she ran away from her responsibilities to become an artist. It means she found ways to work it into her reality.

2. You’re never too old to make a change. 

Grandma Moses was in her 70’s before she began painting in earnest. When she came to a crossroads about embroidery, whether it was due to arthritis or the breakdown of materials, she didn’t stop creating art. She simply moved to another form of expression. It’s hard to say whether it was an easy change to make or if she wrestled with it but she didn’t wrestle long. She made the shift and continued to follow her calling

3. You can use your calling to make money.

 There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you following your calling and making money in the process. That doesn’t mean you’re exploiting it. It just means you’re making money. We all need an income to survive. Using what you enjoy most to create that income allows you to actively follow your calling full time. What could possibly be wrong with that?

Those are the prevailing lessons that jumped out at me when I discovered the story of Grandma Moses. Her life was definitely one to be admired but you don’t have to wait until you’ve retired to do what she did. It took courage for her to step outside of her comfort zone and pursue her artistic career. She could have refused to be publicly featured in exhibits. She could have stayed at her daughter’s home and lived out the rest of her years in upstate New York.

I’m sure she enjoyed being with her family. It was well known that she took great pride in her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She could have easily settled into her role as the family matriarch and enjoyed that. 

But she didn’t. She continued to create paintings and feature them in different exhibits. She is a great example of stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Not only did she step outside of her comfort zone as a farmer’s wife and mother, she stepped outside of the comfort of her age. If a 70-year-old farmer’s wife can step outside of her comfort zone, you can too.